FC Barcelona is parting ways with Ronald Araujo, its captain from last season. The Uruguayan is moving to Liverpool—and could play a key role there right away.
For at least one season, Ronald Araujo will swap his FC Barcelona jersey for that of Liverpool FC. The move was made official this Monday evening. The Reds are initially loaning the Uruguayan for the 2026–27 season and will then have a buyout option—reportedly worth around 55 million euros, according to consistent media reports.
The move, which may seem surprising at first glance, makes sense upon closer inspection—for both sides. Just a few days ago, FCB coach Hansi Flick informed Araujo that, despite ten Champions League matches and 24 La Liga appearances, the veteran would no longer play a central role in Catalonia next season.
Last season’s captain, who had taken a break due to publicly disclosed mental health issues, had no longer been Barcelona’s first choice overall but was still among the highest earners. Since Liverpool will cover his entire salary, the Spanish champions are creating important financial flexibility for their own planned future transactions. In the past, the Blaugrana had repeatedly struggled in the summer to register new signings due to salary cap restrictions.
Iraola Gets Key Reinforcements—and Flexibility
The Reds are more than happy to welcome the defender due to his undisputed quality and experience. This is especially true since the defense has recently been identified as a problem area by new coach Andoni Iraola. His options without a new signing of Araujo’s caliber would have been simply “very limited.”
This is further underscored by the fact that: Iraola cannot rely on Joe Gomez, who is practically always injured, and the young players Jeremy Jacquet (21) and Giovanni Leoni (19, who is slowly building up his fitness after a cruciate ligament tear) should be brought into the team cautiously whenever possible. The Araujo deal offers precisely this opportunity: He is likely to start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk.
Araujo’s versatility was also a factor in this deal. The 1.91-meter giant also played at right back at times in Barcelona, a position where Iraola’s options are equally limited. Due to the absence of Conor Bradley (23), former Leverkusen player Jeremie Frimpong (25) is currently the only regular right back.
For Araujo, who has played a total of 143 La Liga and 35 Champions League matches for Barcelona since the summer of 2018, Liverpool is only his second stop in Europe. Araujo could make his competitive debut in the Premier League as early as August 23, when the Reds kick off the new league season in Newcastle.